Claws are out over feral cats in Woodmead

In the one camp, some tenants are frustrated at the alleged efforts to remove the cats from the property, while in the other, management has voiced its concern about the adverse impact the increasing population of felines is having on the ecosystem.

One employee, who wished to remain anonymous, explained that the issue had been going on for several years, with alleged attempts by the office park’s appointed veterinarian to trap and euthanise the cats, which she claimed were tame and sterilised.

“Basically, the vet has forbidden employees to feed the cats and there have been attempts to trap and kill these cats. We found cat traps set in the garages in Woodlands,” she said.

Scott Thorburn, of Growthpoint Properties which is the management agency of the office park, responded to these allegations and refuted the claims that there were attempts to starve and kill the animals.

“This is not a true allegation,” he said.

“Historically [the vet] and our management team on site have been at loggerheads with certain tenants in the park who continuously provide food for the feral cat population.

“This uncontrolled feeding has resulted in the feral cat population increasing beyond what the environment can naturally sustain.”

He also highlighted that the office park had implemented a new policy which stipulated that the cats on the premises should be fed in a responsible manner and only if required.

This was done to ensure population levels were maintained, as having too many feral cats had an adverse impact on an enclosed ecosystem, which contains indigenous plant and wildlife such as animals and birds.

“According to an inspection recently done, because the cats feed on prey such as rodents and birds, they often target chick birds, which are easier to catch than rodents and this has resulted in the chicks not reaching adulthood for two years now,” he said.

Also commenting on the matter was Sue Lindsay, general manager at the Sandton SPCA, who confirmed that the association had been alerted to the ongoing saga. “Our inspector [has met with the] assistant operations manager [of the office park] who explained the reasons for the decision to reduce the number of cats at the park, this being the effect they have on the ecosystem,” she said.

Lindsay added that, due to this, measures had been taken to effectively control the population by placing traps which should be inspected and monitored continuously and by a competent person.

Thorburn concluded that the office park management had taken steps, through the new policy, to manage the issue and was looking for viable solutions to housing the cats removed from the office park.

Details: www.sandtonspca.org.za